


Bad Moon Rising

by Topographical_Map_Of_Utah



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Corgi BB-8, Finn Whump, Having An Important Convo While Playing Mario Kart, Like Not The Show Just The Whole Magic And Shit Thing, M/M, Modern AU, Police Officer!Finn, So Much Finn Whump, So Ready For Halloween, Spooky Scary Ghost Han, Stormpilot, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Teacher!Poe, Werewolf AU, Witch!Rey, chubby!poe, werewolf!finn, who's ready for some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-20 14:47:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8252984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah/pseuds/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah
Summary: Finn's a werewolf, Rey's a witch, and Poe's just a guy unfortunate enough to have gotten sucked into all this supernatural bullshit. At the very least he got a cute boyfriend out of it.





	1. Chapter 1

"Actually?" Poe blinked and looked over at Finn, who just curled up tighter and kept his eyes glued to the screen, pretending to be absorbed in the game of Mario Kart flashing by on the TV. The two of them usually spent their Sunday nights curled up on Finn's bed like this, when Poe finished grading his student's papers and Finn got off his shift at the police station. Usually these nights ended in spooning and ice cream, but what Finn had just told him sort of threw a wrench in all that. "Wait, _actually_?"

"Actually." Finn confirmed, his voice a sheepish mumble. Poe tore his eyes away from the game for a second to blink at his boyfriend. They'd been dating for what, two months? After three years of people thinking they were a couple they had decided to just roll with it. The bomb Finn had just dropped wouldn't change any of that, of course, but still. It was a bit of a game changer. 

"You're serious." Poe reiterated as he chucked a red shell in Finn's direction. They were neck and neck, vying for first place. Even after what he had just heard that was still at the forefront of Poe's mind. "A werewolf, huh?"

"Don't say it out loud. It sounds fucking ridiculous." Finn complained. He kicked Poe's doughy tummy and sighed, cursing when he fell off of the track. Rainbow Road is a real bitch. "I know you don't believe me, but you would've found out eventually..."  

"Fair enough." Poe agreed. A nagging thought in the back of his mind needled him for a second, reminding him that what Finn was telling him was crazy, that magic didn't exist, that Finn was probably just fucking with him for a cheap laugh. But a better part of him knew that Finn wasn't the kind of guy to do that. Besides, Poe always knew when Finn was telling a joke because he'd start to laugh before he even got to the punchline. And hey, he'd find out in a couple days, anyways. Something occurred to Poe and he shoved Finn, laughing when he pushed back and they both nearly fell off of the bed. "That's why you disappeared that weekend awhile back, right?" 

Finn nodded, fiddling with the cord of his controller. Last full moon Finn had locked himself in the apartment on the grounds that he had a bad cold. Even then Poe had known that was a load of bull. Finn loved being babied when he was sick, and if he really had the sniffles he would have wanted nothing more than to curl up in Poe's lap with a quilt and a popsicle. Poe hadn't said anything, though. Although right now he sort of wished that he had, let Finn get this off his chest sooner. The poor guy looked like he was regretting every decision he had ever made in his life. Poe couldn't be having that. He grinned and gave Finn's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, feeling a bit of the tension go away.

"Thanks for telling me, sweetheart. So, we've got two days 'till the full moon. Anything I should know?" 

"Nah. Just clear out for a couple days. I'll be fine." Finn promised.

Poe shook his head and kissed the top of Finn's head, one eye still on the screen. What? They were on the last lap and it was kind of important that Poe break his losing streak. "No can do. I'm not leaving you by yourself, buddy. What kind of boyfriend would that make me?"

"A reasonable one." Finn sighed, but he gave in when Poe started to kiss and nibble at his ear, exploiting a weak spot. "Fine. If you insist on staying here this is how things are gonna go. At eight o'clock I'm locking myself in here. Stay in the kitchen. You're gonna hear a lot of noise, and none of it's gonna be good. You ever seen _American Werewolf in London_?" Finn asked. Poe shrugged and Finn rolled his eyes. "We'll watch that later. So shifting's basically that. It's not fun."

"I can imagine. How about up here?" Poe asked, tapping Finn's forehead. "'Cause if the internet's taught me anything you're either gonna try to maul me or fuck me." Finn wrinkled up his nose and punched Poe's arm. "If it came down to it I'd rather have the latter."

"That's disgusting. And probably illegal." Finn added. "Besides, none of that's gonna happen. Rey's got this potion, keeps my head on straight. Tastes like shit, but it works."

Rey was Finn's roommate. Poe wasn't quite sure what she did for a living, but he wasn't about to ask questions. All he knew was that she had a black belt in everything and kind of scared him. She was a sweetheart, and had baked him a pie once, but he was still scared of her. This might explain why.

"Wait, a potion? Rey's..." Finn nodded and Poe sighed, flopping down into Finn's lap. "A werewolf and a witch, huh? Guess that makes me the token human."

"I guess it does. I can't believe you're okay with this, by the way. Don't I..." Finn tangled the fingers of his free hand in Poe's hair and swallowed. "Don't I scare you?"

"Nah." Poe shrugged, squinting at the screen. "There's worse things to be, after all."

"You think so?" Finn said quietly. Instead of answering Poe sat up and pressed his lips to Finn's cheek, taking him by surprise. He let Poe kiss him down onto the mattress, gasping when he pulled away and smiled at him. Now this was just absurd. How was Poe not running for the door right now? Finn shook his head, furiously turning his attention back to the race. "No, you can't be alright with this. You'd have to be out of your mind to be alright with this. Okay, maybe you didn't hear me so I'm gonna explain again. Magic is real, Poe. Ghosts, vampires, witches, they all exist." Poe just shrugged and kept kissing Finn, one hand still on his Gamecube controller. "Hello, Poe? For God's sake you're _dating a fucking werewolf_."

"And you just got hit by a blue shell." Poe said smugly, glancing at the screen and laughing as his cart zoomed past Finn's and crossed the finish line. He sat up and kissed Finn on the cheek while the leaderboard popped up onscreen, Poe at the top. "I win. Wanna play another round?"

"You're unbelievable..." Finn sighed. Well, this had gone better than he expected. He fiddled with the ties on Poe's sweatpants, giving them a sharp tug when he remembered something important. "Oh, forgot to mention. Beebee can't stay here. I'd give her a heart attack."

"What?" Poe screwed up his face and pouted at Finn. After everything else, this was the one thing he seemed to have a real problem with. The guy really loved his dog. "You can't kick her out. She won't fuss, I swear. C'mere, Beebee." he called, leaning towards the door. The corgi trotted into the bedroom and Poe scooped her up, nuzzling his face against the top of her head and smiling. "You're not gonna freak out when your Dad turns into a wolf, are you? You're still gonna love him, right?" Beebee sneezed in agreement and Poe laughed. "There, y'see? It'll be fine."

"Wait, I'm her dad? I don't remember adopting her." Finn pointed out. But he relented and tweaked Beebee's ear when Poe held her out to him. "Fine, she can stay." 

"You're the best." Poe smiled, giving Finn a kiss. He let his lips linger, grinning against Finn's cheek and holding back a laugh. "Hey, stupid question, but is this wolf thing why you like doing it doggy style?"

"Fuck off..." Finn sighed, rolling his eyes while Poe cracked up. Something told him that jokes like that would persist for a long time. May as well get used to them now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO PUMPED FOR HALLOWEEN FUCK YEAH TIME FOR A SEASONALLY APPROPRIATE TROPE
> 
> Just gonna throw the first chapter out here, see where the plot bunnies drag me.


	2. Chapter 2

 "Finn?" Poe knocked on Finn's door and glanced out of the window with a shiver. The moon hung low in the sky, full and glowing. It sort of gave him chills, especially when he remembered that he was sharing the apartment with a werewolf. Poe knocked again and pressed his ear to the door. "D'you wanna build a snowman?" he sang, trying to annoy Finn into coming out. When even that didn't get an answer Poe rolled his eyes and put down the mug he'd brought. Fine, they'd do this the hard way. 

 "You might want to clear out, Beebee." he said, looking down at his dog as he set about picking the lock. The little tyke had been circling his ankles, stub of a tail wagging and tongue lolling out. Poe had a feeling that happy expression wouldn't last for long. Once the bolt clicked he pushed the door open and stepped inside to find Finn curled up naked on the floor, head in his hand and breath coming short and shallow. As Poe went in further Beebee yelped and scurried off. Poe heard her run into the bathroom and kick the door shut with her paws. Smart dog.

When the floorboards creaked Finn opened one bloodshot eye and blinked slowly at Poe, struggling to focus on him. "Poe, what-" His voice cut off in a growl from low in his throat and he clamped a hand over his mouth. Poe sat down beside him and felt his forehead, sighing when he found that Finn was burning up.

"You need water." Poe said quietly. Finn shook his head and Poe squeezed his shoulder. "C'mon, Rey said that it's better to have somebody taking care of you right now. You're not gonna hurt me. Okay?" Finn nodded begrudgingly and let Poe tip some water into his mouth, resting against his chest with a soft whimper. "Good. How's it going?" Instead of answering Finn retched, blood splattering on the floor in front of him. He shuddered and looked up at Poe, blood dribbling down his chin. 

“Bad.” he admitted. That's when Poe noticed the claws breaking through Finn's fingernails. “It’s going bad.” 

"Your hands..." Finn just groaned and rolled over onto his side, his skin sweaty and warm to the touch. Panic built in his chest as Poe hopped up, collecting blankets off of the bed, figuring he may as well make Finn comfortable. Then an ear-splitting snap and whimper made him jump and drop a pillow. What the hell had that been?

“I really don’t wanna turn around.” he muttered into the blanket he had pressed against his face. But eventually Finn’s groaning guilted him into peeking. It was his jaw; Finn's jaw had cracked at the joint and was lolling uselessly down near his Adam’s apple. "Sweetheart..." Poe dropped back down and gathered Finn up in his arms. "Okay, it'll be okay..." Finn just let out a fretful sound and pressed his forehead into Poe’s lap. Things only went downhill from there.

They managed to ease Finn onto his back just as things began to get serious. At the start Finn's whole body seized up, skin bunching and pulling as everything began to get rearranged. His broad shoulders curled and splintered while his fingers broke one by one, the broken bits fusing together into paws. He shuddered as his bones lengthened, stretching his feverish, damp skin in all kinds of uncommon directions. The muscles in his cheeks and chin were straining, pulling his jaw back at an angle, stretching his face into a snout to accommodate the teeth. In a bid to help Poe adjusted the blanket over the crinkling fur beginning to sprout all over his body and rubbed Finn's stomach, trying to soothe him while he whimpered and cried out.

“Shh, Finn. You’re doing fine.” Poe managed, holding down his nausea. Eventually the shrieks deepened to snarls and growls, and a good ten minutes later Finn crumpled to the floor, a bona fide, bear-sized wolf. Poe let him collapse, his hands trembling as he took in the sight. Sniffles and whimpers and sickly, rattling breathing aside, Finn was absolutely terrifying. A hulking pile of fur and muscle wasn’t the cutest thing Poe had ever laid eyes on. Then Finn looked up at him and Poe sighed in relief. Those were his eyes, soft with tears and peering out benignly from under a shaggy fringe of fur. Poe pushed that away, smiling.

"Hi, sweetheart." he said softly. Finn was still panting heavily, but soon enough his breathing slowed and steadied to a comfortable rumble in the back of his throat. “Better?” Poe asked. He thought that they were home free, but then Finn shook his head and struggled to his feet, swaying as he tried to get his footing. “Whoa there, furball. Try to take it easy, alright? Don’t go nutso on me.”

Apparently that advice came too late. Finn snarled and yanked himself away from Poe, shoving past him into the living room. Something just might be off, here. Poe hopped up and followed Finn, locking Beebee in the bathroom as a precaution. Finn was pacing the front room, muscles shifting uneasily under his pelt. He snapped at Poe and then went back to pacing, growling to himself. He was working himself into a frenzy, from the look of it.

"Finn?" Poe said cautiously as he crept a bit closer. "You took your potion today, right?" Finn nodded, then shook his head, then a shudder racked through him and he growled, turning and staring Poe down with glowing yellow eyes. Now Poe was no expert on werewolves, but he figured that glowing eyes were bad news in any situation. As Finn bared his fangs Poe gulped and pressed himself against the wall. "You didn't take your potion today." he decided.

Finn snapped his jaws and lunged for Poe, pinning him to the ground with his weight. Poe clamped Finn's jaw shut with his arms, twisting and flailing for all he was worth. Okay, so maybe Finn wasn't a teddy bear. "Fuck, Finn-" 

One second they were wrestling, then Finn was gone and Rey was standing above Poe, eyes a bit wild and hair in disarray. "You weren't bitten, were you?" she demanded. Shaken, Poe shook his head and Rey sighed in relief. "Thank fuck..." she sighed as she pushed past him and climbed up onto the kitchen counter, pulling a box off of the top cupboard and throwing the lid across the room while Poe caught his breath. "Where the fuck did I put the wolfsbane?" 

"Rey, what the hell-" Poe staggered to his feet, blinking around the apartment. "What happened? Where's Finn?"

"Realised I fucked up the dosage. Potion didn't work. Flashed him outside before he could kill us. Missed a trap by a couple blocks, dammit." Rey cursed, rooting through the box and pulling out vials and herbs. "You remember the traps, right? Do your best to get him into one of those. I'll meet you there."

When Finn told Rey that he had told Poe she had insisted on dragging Poe around the city and showing him the lures and traps she had set up to catch Finn if he ever got out during the full moon. There had to be at least a dozen set up all over town, mostly in secluded alleyways. Poe felt sorry for any stray cat that happened to find itself in the same alley as a werewolf.

"Got it." Poe grabbed his motorcycle helmet, ready to leave, then Rey tossed him a gun and side holster. Poe scowled at her, trying to understand what she wanted from him. "What?"

"Silver bullets. Finn made me promise I'd give it to you if anything went wrong." Rey explained bitterly. "Trust me. I don't want to, either." 

Poe nodded, staring down at the gun in his hands. Fine. If it made Finn feel better he'd carry it around, but no way in hell was he ever going to pull the trigger.

 

\--------

 

"And you're sure this is gonna work?" Poe whispered, idling in the mouth of one of the alleyways Rey had set up as a lure. The headlights on his bike weren't making so much as a dent in the gloom. There was a seal spray-painted on the concrete, which was probably what was holding Finn inside. He'd been chasing him all night and finally had managed to corral him into one of Rey's traps. Turns out werewolves are fast. "Why am I the delivery boy, by the way?"

Rey appeared at his side and shrugged. Actually appeared, out of thin air, from the looks of it. "Finn fucking hates me when he turns. I swear. He catches one whiff of me and goes off the wall. My guess is that he knows I'm a witch and doesn't like it. Cloaking spells don't work on me, either."

"That a fact? Well that's just great." Suddenly a howl ripped through the night and Poe winced on Finn's behalf. "He's not having a fun time, is he?"

"No. He's probably starved, poor guy." Rey nudged Poe's elbow and thrust a newspaper wrapped parcel into his hands. "This should do the trick." The package was heavy, squishy, and a little bit wet. Poe screwed up his nose and Rey rolled her eyes. "Don't be a bitch. It's hamburger meat. Mixed up the potion in it. Should calm him down, get his head back to normal."

"I'll take your word for it." Poe sighed and climbed off of his bike, making the executive decision to keep his helmet on. "This is gonna be fun."

Poe strolled down the alleyway humming "Blue Moon" under his breath and jumping at small noises. Finn was nowhere to be found. Considering the fact that he was a giant wolf the guy hid himself pretty damn well. After walking back and forth a couple times and coming up empty handed Poe stopped underneath the streetlight in the middle of the alley and sighed, tossing the package onto the concrete. Fuck it. Finn could come out when he felt like it.

"Hey, buddy." Poe called out, feeling a bit absurd. It wasn't every day you find yourself standing in an alleyway, wiping uncooked hamburger meat off of his hands and yelling at a werewolf. Why had he signed up for this, again? "I'm just gonna leave this here. Don't mind me." After a couple seconds of waiting a shadow emerged from behind a dumpster, creeping tentatively into the light. Poe held his breath as a pair of reflective yellow eyes winked at him in the dark before venturing into the lamplight. "Evenin', sweetheart." 

Without even looking at Poe Finn sniffed at the package and tore into it, splattering himself with red as he scarfed it down. Nothing said for table manners. Poe shrank against the wall and gulped, getting a good look at Finn. About the size of a grizzly bear, with silvery fur, keen yellow eyes, and razor sharp claws. Not the most endearing thing on the planet, Poe had to admit.

Poe realised that Finn was looking at him now, muzzle stained with blood and lips drawn back in a snarl. He growled and tossed his head, circling Poe, backing him into a corner. Poe gulped and took a couple steps back. "Whoa, Finn, easy, buddy." he said shakily. Rey hadn't warned him about wait time. How long did it take for the potion to start working, exactly? "Sorry, I don't have anymore food, alright?"

Poe remembered the gun Rey had handed to him, concealed under his jacket. But even now he knew that he could never bring himself to use it. No way in hell. Thank God he held back, because just as Finn snarled and readied to pounce something stopped him. 

Finn coughed. He lurched forwards and hacked like a cat with a hairball. Poe stumbled back as Finn collapsed in front of him in a heaving pile, tail twitching on the concrete. A soft whine escaped his lips and he went limp, shuddering and gasping. When he looked up at Poe he cocked his head and whimpered, ears flat against the top of his head, brown eyes wide and pleading. Well, that was a relief.

"Welcome back, sweetheart. You okay?" Poe pulled off his helmet and crouched in front of Finn, smiling. Apparently Finn wasn't nearly as okay with this development as Poe was. He tried to scramble back with his tail between his legs, whimpering and pawing at the gore on his muzzle. Poe jumped up and shushed him. “Hey, calm down. It's alright. You didn't hurt anybody." Finn tried to pull away but Poe kissed him on the forehead and cupped his face in his hands, ignoring the blood. "You’re no monster.” he said gently. “You’re just…”

A big, scary wolf man. Poe huffed and cradled Finn's huge head in his arms. Honesty wasn’t always the best policy, apparently. Sighing, he squeezed Finn tight and pulled him back down, not caring that his shirt was getting smeared with blood. Finn sat down on his haunches and pawed at Poe's chest, an uncoordinated attempt to pull him closer. Poe laughed and tweaked Finn's ear.

“You’re still in there, aren’t you?" Poe asked. "You’re still Finn under all this fur, right?” He rubbed Finn's snout and Finn whimpered, pushing his nose against Poe's hand and licking his fingers. Rey appeared at his side just as Finn flopped down in Poe's lap with a happy huff, his tail sweeping across the ground in slow arcs. 

"Well, that settles it." she yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Finn growled at her and she grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that fuck up. I'll make it up to you somehow, okay?"

Finn chuffed, which probably meant,  _You'd better_. Poe laughed and pulled him closer. For a second everything seemed like it was looking up, then Poe heard a growl coming from the mouth of the alleyway and stiffened.

"Oh, shit." Rey said under her breath. The three of them looked up to see a group of shadows clustered in the mouth of the alleyway, penning them in. 

"Who're they?" Poe asked. Finn stiffened and shook Poe off, fur bristling as he got to his feet and bared his fangs. He stood with Rey, whose hands had ignited with bright, crackling flames that cast shadows on the walls around them. 

"It's his pack. They don't like him." she added. Nodding, Poe got to his feet, taking in the sight of at least ten snow white wolves, lips drawn back in snarls, eyes coal black and emotionless.

"I figured that much. Well, ain't this a treat." Poe scowled and pulled out a switchblade, feeling kind of useless. Rey noticed and tossed him a sheathed knife. "Silver?" 

 "Yup." As Poe drew the blade the click of footsteps made him look up. There was a tall, pale guy making his way towards them, his bloodless skin almost translucent in the firelight. A jet black wolf was at his side, shaggy and about a foot taller than Finn. The two of them growled at each other and the bigger wolf made to attack, but the redhead held him back. 

"Heel, Ren." he snapped, glaring at the wolf before nodding civilly at Rey. "Skywalker."

"Hux." The flames in Rey's palms flickered and darkened with her expression. "Don't you have somewhere better to be? Creeping on the protagonist of a shitty YA novel, maybe?" 

"Difficult as ever, I see. We couldn't help but notice you still had that in your possession." he said coldly, nodding at Finn. "Remember, he is my property, and if you turn him in our offer still stands." he reminded her. Rey's eyes narrowed and the lightbulb above them sparked. Poe didn't know what they were talking about, but apparently these guys had a past. "We wouldn't kill you. You know how valuable you are to us." 

"Hey, I was just thinking, you really live up to the whole 'soulless redhead' thing, y'know that?" Rey said suddenly. Hux twisted his lip, and if his face could have gone red it would have. 

"I'd thank you to spare me your infantile insults. And who is that?" he asked, glancing at Poe. "A human?" Poe straightened and smirked, giving Hux a little salute. Might as well follow Rey's lead with the vampire jokes.

"Poe Dameron. Good to meet you. So you're a vampire, huh? Hey, not to be rude or anything, but I've always wondered, can you get hard? I mean you don't have blood, so..."

"Please tell me you're feeding him to 187." Hux said to Rey, ignoring Poe completely. Rey's scowl deepened and she straightened up, Finn drawing himself up to his full height beside her.

"His name's Finn." she said. "And you don't own him."

"I try to be generous." Hux sighed. Ren howled, rallying the other wolves. "You force my hand, Skywalker." 

"Wait, hold on a second." Poe interjected, raising his hands in protest. "Before you kill us, there's just one thing I need to know."  Hux glared at him and Poe grinned. "Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

Apparently that was the last straw. Hux snapped his finger and the wolves attacked, an avalanche of white fur and foaming mouths. The black wolf launched itself at Rey, the other wolves turned their attention to him and Finn. Hux seemed to have flown off. He was probably hanging from the rafters, watching the carnage unfold below him. Bastard.

Poe wound up back to back with Finn, slicing and stabbing like a madman, hoping that he wouldn't get bitten. He really couldn't imagine dealing with this on the regular. Half of the reason he didn't get bit was Finn, who was basically feral, lunging and snapping and gnashing his fangs. Rey was chanting as she fought, fire flying from her hands, lighting up the wolves around her and leaving black streaks on the brick walls. Poe made a mental note not to piss either of them off.

They were doing fine for now, but Poe could hear more wolves coming, and eventually either Rey would get bit or he would get bit or heck, maybe the sun would come up and they'd wind up just awkwardly standing in an alleyway with a bunch of naked people. None of those scenarios sounded appealing. And thankfully none of them came to pass.

"Here!" Rey yelled. Suddenly Poe was wrenched away from the fight, sent spiralling into a swirling vortex, his yelling ripped away with the wind and Finn's fur between his fingers. He really had to have a talk with Rey about non-consensual teleportation.

 

\--------

 

After a minute of tumbling through what felt like a tornado the three of them were spit out onto the living room floor of Rey and Finn's apartment, making the houseplants and books rattle on the shelves. Poe grunted and rolled off of Finn, who was a panting heap on the carpet. Rey had wound up at the bottom of the pile and was wriggling, trying to get Finn's attention and not really getting anywhere.

 "We all okay?" she groaned. A disinterested assent was raised from the group and she nodded, finally managing to squirm out from under Finn's bulk. "Nice. Seals on the house are secure, by the way. Don't have to worry about those sons of bitches following us. I'm going to McDonalds. You want anything?" she asked, tapping a sigil on the door that was starting to flicker. 

Poe blinked and sat up, hearing her tone. Wait, she was acting like this was normal, like it was every day that they got attacked by werewolves in a back alley. Rey caught his expression and shrugged. "The Order usually catches up to us every once in awhile. Don't worry. They'll move on soon, lose interest. So d'you guys want anything or not?" Finn yelped a request but she shrugged. "Sorry, I don't speak wolf."

"Lemme guess, apple pie?" Poe ventured. Finn snorted and nuzzled against Poe's chest. Poe knew his boyfriend well. "Yeah, a couple of those would be good. Thanks, Rey."

"No problem." When Rey kicked the front door shut behind her Poe scratched Finn behind the ear and grinned at him. That had been exciting. Poe didn't understand what had just happened, but it had sure been exciting. 

"I'm gonna take a shower. You'll be fine, right?" Finn rolled his eyes and Poe snorted. "Excuse me for caring..." He shed his jacket and dropped it on the floor, giving Finn another pat. Finn grabbed the jacket gently in his mouth and trotted over to his bedroom, the sleeves trailing on the ground. Poe held back a laugh as he watched Finn make his way down the hall. Did he know that his tail was wagging?" 

Poe was still laughing to himself as he grabbed a pair of Finn's sweatpants off of the floor, but that laugh turned into a sheepish grin when he opened the bathroom door and saw what was waiting for him. Beebee was sitting in the doorway, staring up at him with big sad puppy dog eyes. Clearly, he had betrayed her trust by leaving her and needed to explain himself. Poe sighed and crouched, ruffling her fur. "Hey, Beebee. Sorry about locking you in here, but see, there was an emergency and-"

Beebee didn't stick around for the rest of his explanation. She sniffed the air and her ears perked up in excitement. Nose to the floor, she scampered down the hall and into Finn's bedroom without hesitation. Poe held his breath as he waited for a terrified yelp or confrontational growl, but all that passed between Beebee and Finn were a couple excited yelps and what sounded like Beebee licking Finn's face. Poe rolled his eyes and turned on the shower. Those two would be fine.

When Poe walked into the bedroom later he smiled and leaned against the doorway. Beebee had flopped down on Finn's back, tongue lolling out and leg twitching as she chased chicken nuggets in her dreams. Finn was sure to keep very still, curled up in a ball on the bedroom floor and using Poe's aviator jacket as a blankie. Poe smiled and sat down beside him, running a hand through Finn's blood-matted fur, watching the sunlight creeping in through the window. God, he had so many questions. But all of them could wait, Poe decided as Finn's fur bristled uneasily under his fingers. 

"Easy, buddy." Poe rubbed a scar on Finn's neck, pushing aside the fur that was starting to thin out. Finn rumbled somewhere deep in his throat and nuzzled against Poe's stomach with a soft whine. His shrinking claws were caked with blood, and when he yawned the same could be said for his fangs. Poe took that as a good sign. "How's it going? You're changing back, right?"

 When Finn nodded Poe rested against him, fitting comfortably as Finn shifted, cocooning himself around Poe's body. He made a really nice blanket, actually. Reassured, Poe pressed a kiss under Finn’s ear and ran his hands through his thick grey fur, fingers catching the outlines of jagged scars and scabbing knife marks. 

“Can we talk about this when we wake up?” he mumbled around the fur in his mouth. “Please?” In response Finn thumped his tail on the floor and snuggled even closer. That sounded like a yes. "Okay. Goodnight.”

Poe closed his eyes and sighed, completely exhausted. Phoning in sick had been a good idea, because no way in hell was he getting up any time before noon. Hopefully not all full moons would be this eventful.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think hux is team jacob, personally


	3. Chapter 3

 Finn woke up in a cold sweat, breath coming in short pants and blood thrumming in his temples. Beebee sniffed him and rolled off of his back with a frightened yelp, waddling out of the room with her ears flat against the top of her head. Not the bravest pooch on the planet, that one.

He growled and dug what were left of his claws into the carpet, knowing what had woken him and not liking it. Fur was receding from his paws, retracting into his skin with an eerie crackle, like snakes slithering through a field. Finn managed to raise his muzzle and see the sunlight streaming in through the blinds. Sunrises had really lost their charm over the last few years.

After watching the dust motes dance in the warm air and listening to Poe's gentle breathing for awhile Finn couldn't ignore what was happening to him. His head was clear, which was probably the worst part, he reflected as he snarled and doubled over, what felt like fire burning in the pit of his stomach. Finn appreciated the potion Rey made for him, he really did, but a side effect was that he was awake for the transformation, awake for every tearing muscle and snapping bone. It was unpleasant, to say the least.

As much of a relief as it was, changing back, Finn could never get used to the feeling. It was awful, like collapsing back into his own body way too quickly. With his last bit of strength Finn dragged himself away from Poe, the vertebrae in his spine shrinking and fusing and clicking back into place. Didn't need Poe to see him in his state. He was probably freaked out enough as it was.

Finn tried his best not to fight it, pausing every so often to blink black spots out of his eyes and swallow the bile rising in his throat. Part of him wished this was faster, but a more reasonable part knew that would kill him. If the change weren't this slow his lungs would collapse, his bones would break through his skin and there was the potential of permanently crippling himself if he squirmed too much. Or worse, he might get stuck somewhere in between. Now that was some motivation for Finn to stay still and take it.

Poe woke up at the halfway point, an awkward stage where Finn's tail was retracting and he had the face of an orc, straight out of a J.R.R Tolkien novel. Finn groaned and buried his head in his arms, what was left of his fur scratching his burning cheeks. Could his luck get any worse? For Christ's sake he felt like a naked mole rat. Those things creeped him out.

But then Finn felt Poe's hand on his back, sliding over his slippery skin. Once again: Why in God's name was Poe okay with this? "Aw, baby..." Poe soothed. "So the change back isn't any fun, either. You need anything?"

"Help-" Finn croaked as his jaw snapped back into place. There wasn't much Poe could do aside from hold him, but that was more than Finn usually got. Finn cried out, feeling like every bone in his body was being crushed, pressing and grinding back into their usual spots. For the thousandth time he wished they could do that with less fuss.

Finally the last bone snapped into place and Finn shuddered, collapsing against Poe with a soft whine. He felt naked and weak and tingling, skin tender to the touch. He could live with fur, but the aftermath of it was the worst. The sweat on his forehead stuck to Poe’s shirt and he started to pull away, but Poe held him in place, pressing kisses to Finn's face.

"Hi, handsome. You okay?" Poe whispered. Finn nodded and closed his eyes, letting Poe trace his fingers over the bruises on his ribs. Everything hurt aside from the ten pinpricks of Poe's fingertips, the ear that Poe was kissing. Figuring that physical contact was the answer to all his problems Finn lifted Poe's shirt and burrowed his head underneath it, squishing his cheek against Poe's warm, soft tummy and sighing in relief. It was like hugging a marshmallow. After a couple minutes Poe snorted and wriggled, but that only made Finn cling tighter.

"C'mon out, sweetheart. Let's get you to bed." Poe tried to insist. Finn groaned in protest and Poe heaved him up, grunting under his weight. "Fuck, you're heavy. What the hell are you made out of?"

"Regret." Finn managed as he rolled onto the bed. Poe snorted and ran his fingers through Finn's sweaty curls. "So much regret."

"Poor baby. You gonna be okay while I make breakfast?" Poe asked, throwing a quilt over Finn.

"Yeah." Finn dragged a pillow under his head and pressed his face into it as Poe walked out. Dried blood was flaking off of his skin and his whole body was caked with grime. He'd have to wash these sheets later. Much later. For now Finn just tried to relax, nestled in his nest of blankets. Poe was singing in the kitchen and Finn could hear him banging around the cupboards, throwing together some food. Finn smiled a bit and curled up with a soft huff. Maybe Rey was right. Having someone take care of him _was_ pretty nice.

 

\------- 

 

"Shh, Beebee. Finn needs his rest." Poe insisted, giving her a nudge with his toe. "We'll play fetch later, alright? Resigned, Beebee stopped yipping and waddled out of the kitchen, over to the nest of old towels Rey had set up for her when she and Poe slept over. "Good dog. We'll play later, I promise." Poe dumped a towel in a bowl of warm water and carried it down the hall, peeking into Finn's bedroom and grinning. He was tangled up in the sheets with his neck and shoulders twisted at an angle verging on professional contortionism. It looked painful, yet he was snoring away peacefully, apparently content with being a human pretzel.

Well, semi-human pretzel.

“A werewolf, huh?” Poe scooped a pillow off of the floor where it had fallen and hugged it to his chest. Finn didn’t seem all that dangerous at the moment, downright angelic, actually. But last night in the alleyway was a different story. Poe wasn't gonna lie, Finn had scared the shit outta him. Although now that everything had calmed down it all seemed like nothing but a bad dream. But the blood cracking on Finn's skin told him otherwise. Sighing, Poe sat down beside Finn and set the bowl on the bedside table, wringing out the cloth and pressing it to Finn's chest, feeling the muscles unfurl under the gentle pressure. Geez, if he were any more tense the poor guy would snap in half. 

While Poe scrubbed he glanced at Finn's crotch and a smile tweaked at the edge of his mouth. May as well give the poor guy a nice wakeup. When the worst of the blood was dealt with Poe wiped Finn down again, mostly just so he could press kisses to the dips and divots of his abs. Simple pleasures. He nuzzled his face into the trail of hair leading down from Finn's belly button and set about gently cleaning his dick, watching it harden in his hold. Experimentally, Poe trailed his tongue up the shaft and heard a soft whine, the bed dipping as Finn woke up and scrambled up onto his elbows.

"Poe?" Finn gasped. Poe sucked on the head of Finn's cock and he moaned, gripping Poe's hair and whining. "Fuck, Poe..."

"Good morning." Poe pulled off and laughed, pressing a kiss to Finn's jutting hipbone. "I won't get turned into a werewolf if I suck you off, right?"

"No, thank God." Finn breathed, voice shaky with relief. 

"Oh, good." Poe laughed and went back to what he was doing, working his tongue around Finn's cock, kissing and licking at the pre-cum that spilled onto his tongue, his stubble rough on the oversensitive skin. A minute later Finn yanked Poe's curls, his hips bucking and a growl rumbling in the back of his throat. Poe held firm, feeling Finn's whole body tense as he came with a shout, come pooling warm and thick in the back of Poe's throat. 

"Fuck..." Finn whined. Poe wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned as Finn flopped back with an exhausted whine. He was spent, twitching and gasping, come still oozing out from between the folds of foreskin on the head of his cock. Poe crawled up and tried to kiss him but Finn shook his head. "Trust me. You do not want to taste what I'm tasting." he insisted, cupping a hand over Poe's mouth. Poe nipped playfully at Finn's fingers and smiled when Finn made a face. "Gah, it's like I drank a milkshake made out of a dead cow's innards."

"Boy, that's some vivid imagery." Poe grinned and let Finn pull away, sneaking a kiss on his neck. "Want me to bring breakfast? It'll be ready in a couple minutes."

"Nah. I should get cleaned up." Finn sighed as he climbed out of bed. On his way out the door he paused and grinned at Poe, who was gathering the soiled sheets off of the bed. "Hey, you know you're gonna get thanked later, right?"

"Looking forward to it." Poe laughed. Finn grinned and limped into the bathroom, but while the water warmed up he looked at himself in the mirror and cringed. Yup, he didn't need a Halloween costume. He could just go as a zombie that had been run over by a bumper car. If Poe walked out right now Finn wouldn't be surprised.

Finn sat down in the shower, because quite frankly if anyone had the right to do so it was him. He was just about to fall asleep when Beebee waddled into the bathroom and dropped her favourite ball into the tub with absolutely no regard to Finn's personal space.

"Not right now, dog. Scoot." Finn insisted, drawing his knees up to his chest and splashing some water Beebee's way. She just yipped and put her paws up on the rim of the tub, sniffing Finn and cocking her head in confusion. "Yeah, I smell different. Whoop-dee-doo." Unfazed, Beebee tried to clamber into the tub, her claws scrabbling on the porcelain. "No. Off." When that didn't work Finn growled from low in his throat and bared his teeth. Beebee scrambled into the corner, cowering behind the laundry hamper.

"Yeah, you'd better run." Finn mumbled, closing his eyes and resting against the side of the tub. Then Beebee pawed at his arm and Finn groaned. Damn corgis for knowing they were too cute to resist. Finn knew they knew. He could see it in their eyes. "Fine." He heaved her in and nudged her to the other end of the tub with his foot. "But stay on your side."

Beebee flopped down with a happy whine, looking pretty satisfied with her current situation. Finn watched her roll around, his brow crinkled up in confusion. This dog had no sense of self preservation, did she?

"Hey, you know you're supposed to hate me, right?" Finn pointed out, watching Beebee chase the bubbles he had blown with Rey's shampoo. "Every other dog has the good sense to run away when they meet me. And then there's you." Finn shook his head, sighing as turned off the tap and towelled Beebee off, rolling his eyes when she waddled away. "You're as crazy as your old man, you know that?"

"Hey, why are you wet?" Finn heard Poe ask Beebee when she trotted into the kitchen. He grabbed a hoodie and boxers off of the floor and walked in to see Beebee lying on the floor with her tiny legs splayed out like a stubby starfish, her butt shaking as she stared longingly at the bag of dog treats Poe was holding.

"Tell me I didn't eat any of those last night." Finn yawned, resting his elbows on the kitchen counter. Poe laughed and shook the bag, making Beebee whimper.

"Nah. You're welcome to have one, though." Poe tossed a treat at Beebee and it bounced off of her nose, making her yelp. While she gnawed on it Poe shook another one into his hand and held it out to Finn. "Sit." he teased. Finn punched his arm and Poe laughed. "Your tail does wag, though."

"No, it doesn't." Finn grumbled as he flopped down onto the couch. Poe cracked a grin and set a big tray of pancakes on the coffee table, running his fingers through Finn's damp curls. "Is that all for me?"

"Well, yeah. I figured you wouldn't want any meat."

"You're the best." Finn pressed a kiss to Poe's cheek and tried for a smile. "If you've got any questions feel free to ask, by the way. This is all pretty..." Finn laughed nervously, looking at the claw marks on the wall. "Well, it's a lot to take in, I guess." 

"Don't worry about me." Poe insisted, pushing a forkful of pancakes into Finn's mouth. "I work in an inner city public school, remember? I've seen some shit."

"I'm not gonna ask. But you must have something you want to ask." Finn managed, his mouth still half full. "C'mon, Poe. Does any of this seem strange to you? Put our relationship in jeopardy? Throw me a bone, here."

"Was that a dog joke?" Poe teased as he pushed more food into Finn's mouth. "Well, maybe there's one thing. The Order." he started. "Why're they so hung up on you?"

Finn looked up, his mouth stuffed with whipped cream. "Mmph?"

"The puppy party last night. What was that about?"

"Oh, that..." Finn swallowed thickly, chewing on the tines of his fork. "My old pack."

"Yeah, Rey told me. That Hux guy, what's his deal? He's a vampire, right? I thought vampires and werewolves don't mix."

"Don't get your information from Twilight. We're not natural enemies or anything. Hux is just an asshole. Him and his colony track down werewolves to use as soldiers. They abduct us, number us off, control us with a spell." Finn pulled down the collar of his shirt, showing off the scar above his collarbone in the shape of a hexagon. "Well, _he_ doesn't control us, technically. Snoke's the one who does. I'm pretty sure he's a wizard who Hux reports to. So basically what happens is he puts us under some kind of binding spell. Once we're branded we never go back to being human. Ever."

"Then how come you're..." Poe waved vaguely at Finn, who shrugged, looking about as confused as Poe.

 "They tried the spell a few times but never took. Eventually Snoke decided that I must be like Ren. It didn't work on him, either. You remember that black wolf that was basically wrapped around Hux, right? So I got to stay human most of the time. And I got assigned to an officer, Phasma. She's like Hux. Well, she was." 

"Was?" 

"I might have killed her on accident..." he admitted. Poe blinked and Finn looked down at his plate. "Oops."

"Damn. You really are dangerous." Poe realised. "How'd that happen?"

"We were out culling and I made a break for it." Poe blinked and Finn jumped on an explanation. "Oh, right. Culling. If our pack numbers dropped too much we just... made more werewolves?" Finn said hesitantly. "We'd track down a car right before sunset, send out one of the kids to stand at the side of the road, ask for a ride. People always picked them up. They were in for a nasty surprise." Finn sighed, moving the syrup around on his plate. "Since it was a pup the driver usually got out with a couple cuts and bruises, nothing major. The bite still worked, though." 

Finn's eyes were far away, and Poe could picture him standing on the side of the road at ten years old, watching a pair of headlights drawing closer, knowing what he was about to do. "When their job was done the pup would hop out. One of the older wolves would jump in front of the car and the driver would swerve into a tree or something. They'd stumble off and we'd follow them. Eventually they would start to change. Sometimes it didn't go well."

"How come?" 

"Shifting's a pretty messy process. You know that. And if you're already injured something's probably gonna go wrong. I've seen people get pretty mangled." Finn trailed off, then he shook his head and kept going. "So one night we got a hit right before sunrise. The driver crashed and one of the wolves, Slip, figured we would have enough time to drag him out. But the driver put up a fight and the brand got scraped off of Slip, so that meant he'd change back in the morning. Anyways, the sun started to come up, and by the time Phasma comes in for a report Slip's human and the driver's stuck somewhere in between. Phasma, she told me to kill them both, and I..." 

"Sweetheart?" Poe said tentatively. Finn had gone quiet, flexing and unflexing his hands as though he expected claws to burst through his fingernails. "You don't have to tell me if it bothers that much."

"No, it's fine. It just gets kind of blurry around this part." Finn said quietly. "I think I blacked out. When I came to Phasma was dead. Well, even deader. Doesn't take a detective to figure out what I must've done. So I ran away." When he said that Finn sighed in relief. The worst of the story must be over. "I met Rey in Boston. I had sorta holed up in her dad's garage during a full moon. Didn't have anywhere else to go, and the place looked abandoned."

"Wait, you hid in Luke's garage? I really hope you didn't scratch his car..." Poe laughed. His mom had flown a couple missions with Luke back when she was alive. They hadn't spoken in ages, then one day Poe had walked into Finn's apartment and he was there, trying to teach Rey how to bake a pie. Small world.

Finn smirked and shook his head. "If I had he probably wouldn't have been so nice to me. I swear, I'm the luckiest guy on the planet. He and Rey, they found me the next morning, took me in. When they figured out what I was they weren't freaked out or anything. Rey comes from a whole line of witches and wizards, it's crazy. Her uncle was best friends with a Sasquatch. Anyways, they helped sneak me into the system, put me in the real world with the rest of you. Social security number, passport, the whole package. Rey and I moved up here, and you know the rest." Finn concluded, smiling at Poe.

"I guess I do." Poe agreed as Finn snuggled up under his shirt again. He grinned and rubbed Finn's shoulders, tugging the hem of his shirt even lower. "Just outta curiosity, how long've you been a werewolf?"

"Since before I can remember." Finn mumbled, pressing kisses to Poe's tummy. "I must've been a kid. I dunno. Nothing I can do about it now."

"Fair enough." Poe flipped his shirt up and smiled at Finn. "So we've just got one more night to get through, right?"

"Yeah. I'd say we've got nine more hours 'till the sun goes down." Finn glanced at Poe's phone and groaned. "I don't wanna."

"Yeah, well, for now we can enjoy ourselves, at least." Poe grinned and pulled Finn down on top of him, rocking his hips up against Finn's crotch. But that plan went out the window when Beebee struggled up onto the couch and yipped insistently. "Hey, Beebee, leave your parents alone for two seconds, would you?" Poe complained. She ignored him and curled up on top of Finn's back. "Goddammit."

"I'd scare her off, but she'd just keep coming back. You wanna watch a movie?" Finn proposed. Poe shrugged and grabbed the remote, then something occurred to him and he threw it across the room, grinning when it landed on the armchair by the window. "The hell did you do that for?"

"Fetch." Poe said, holding back a laugh. Finn kneed Poe's thigh and scowled at him.

"If you make one more dog joke I swear to God..."

"What if I make two more?"

"Do you _want_ to die?"

"Nah. You'd bury my bones in the park under a tree. I deserve more than that." Poe teased. Finn growled and Poe stopped laughing. "Kidding. I'm kidding."

"You'd better be..." Finn sighed and closed his eyes, smiling when Poe scratched behind his ear. Tonight would suck, but at least he could enjoy the next nine hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally this fic should just be called "Finn Whump ft. Poe Being A+ Boyfriend"


	4. Chapter 4

"So that's over and done with?" Poe asked as Finn flopped into his lap with one more groan. He had woken up to the vaguely repellant noise of Finn's bones creaking back into place, which was far worse than any phone alarm, and those were already unpleasant. "Imagine if Pokemon evolved like this..."

"Don't disrespect my childhood." Finn grumbled. He cracked his neck and winced. Being a werewolf was hard on the joints. "What time is it?"

"Seven, I'd say. I have to go to work in a bit. You're gonna be okay on your own, right?"

"I'm going to work. I just took yesterday off because of the whole First Order situation. If I went missing every month people would start to get suspicious." Finn explained, wincing as Poe pulled him to his feet. Everything hurt just as badly as it had yesterday, but he tried not to let on. Having Poe worry about him would help nobody.

"Poor baby. You really can't let this get to you, huh?" Poe sighed. That was pretty spot on, actually. There had been days where Finn could barely stand, but he went in to work anyways. Besides, it wasn't as bad as back in the academy when the full moon fell on the week of the physical evaluations. That had not been a fun time.

 "Yeah, well. People like Rey and me, we've got to seem normal, for everyone's sake. If one of us fuck up, all of our covers are gonna get blown. It'll be the Salem witch hunts all over again..."

"Look at you kids, being all responsible." Poe gave Finn a kiss, grinning when he saw him smile. "You're a real trooper, y'know that?"

"Quit being sappy. You're gonna be late for work." Finn shoved Poe and stumbled into the bathroom, really hopping that he would be able to wash out the taste of that raw turkey he'd eaten last night.

After your typical early morning scramble for showers and coffee Finn followed Poe downstairs to grab the mail and the two of them wound up saying their goodbyes on the landing. They hesitated in the front door, dopey grins on their faces. When they were alone touching came naturally to them, but the second other people were thrown into the equation Finn froze up. He nibbled on his bottom lip and scuffed the floor with his toe, waiting for something to happen. Finally Poe leant in and pecked him on the cheek. "You wanna stay at my place tonight?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Finn smiled in relief while he secured Poe's motorcycle helmet on his head, polishing the visor with his sleeve. "I'll be there in time for dinner."

"I'll keep your plate in the oven." Poe tried to give Finn a kiss, but wound up bashing his nose with his face guard. "Shit, sorry." 

"No worries." Finn laughed. Poe smiled and slid down the banister like a kid, stumbling a bit on touchdown and trying to recover by hopping onto his bike and tearing out of there as fast as possible. When Poe reached the stoplight he might've turned around, but it was too quick for Finn to know for sure. Something squeaked behind him and he turned to see Beebee curling herself comfortably around his ankles with her tongue lolling out.

"He knows I love him, right?" he asked, eyes still on the blinking green light. Beebee cocked her head and Finn sighed. "Never mind. Go chase your tail or something." Obliging as ever, Beebee trotted back upstairs, leaving Finn alone with his thoughts.

"I love you." he said quietly. How badly he wanted to let Poe know, and maybe even hear him say it back. But something told him that that was a very bad idea. Sure, it was something unfounded and kind of rude to Poe, actually, but knowing that wouldn't stop Finn from feeling like this. He groaned and knocked his head against the door frame. How could three little words cause him so much trouble? 

 

 

 --------

 

"Look me in the eye and tell me you haven't at least thought about it." Jess prodded, poking Finn with her cake pop. Finn wiped the sprinkles off of his uniform and shot her a death glare. This was not a conversation he wanted to be having right after work. 

"Drop it, Testor."

"Well have you or haven't you?"

"I have not, and never will, have sex with Poe during the full moon. Now _drop it_."

"Someone's grumpy." Jess teased. Finn rolled his eyes and took another gulp of coffee, pumpkin spice because Rey wasn't around to call him basic. It was fall. He could be cosy if he wanted, dammit. "Would a belly rub make you feel better?"

"I'm gonna kill you..." Finn growled as Jess cracked up. Surprisingly, she was okay with having a werewolf as a partner. She had actually seen Finn transform once when he dozed off in the office on a full moon. Instead of puking and trying to shoot him, which was the reasonable thing to do, she had called up Poe and politely inquired whether or not he knew that his boyfriend was a werewolf. She and him were two of a kind when it came to self-preservation.

All of a sudden Finn's ears perked up and he looked out the window, unease churning in his gut. He could have sworn he had heard something. And after a couple minutes there it was again, the high-pitched wail of an injured pup. He knew that noise all too well, had made it himself an awful lot when he was growing up. Finn groaned and set down his coffee. Could his day get any fucking better?

"What is it?" Jess asked.

"Can you take the car back and file the reports? I've got something to take care of." Without waiting for a response Finn grabbed his sandwich and got out of the squad car, shivering in the early evening breeze. It was a trap. He knew it was a trap. It may not be the Order specifically, but someone out there was out to gut a couple werewolves. Age old trick, that. So-called monster hunters got a real kick out of planting a recording of a pup and beating the shit out of any poor bastard dumb enough to show up. But Finn wasn't that dumb, no sir. Then the pup let out another howl and Finn winced. Its keening seemed to pierce the air, which some kind of protective instinct deep in his chest just couldn't ignore. Cursing, Finn pushed through the rush hour crowds, but not before shooting Rey a text in the hope that she would pop up and stop him. He was going to regret this.

After wandering for awhile Finn tracked down the source of all the racket, a pup howling pitifully in a lonely alleyway. Well, at least it wasn't a recording. The poor thing had gotten herself trapped in one of Rey's lures. Finn deactivated it and strolled inside in time to see the flash of a white tail disappearing under a Dumpster. Sighing, he tossed his food onto the ground and sat down on an upturned produce crate to wait. It wasn't long before he heard a few shy snuffles and saw a pair of coal black eyes peeking out at him. 

"C'mon out, kiddo. It's okay." he soothed, watching as the pup limped into the light. One of her paws was twisted up all wrong, giving her a jerky, hobbling gait. No way was she keeping up with the pack. Hux couldn't ask for better bait. Finn smiled a bit when she pawed curiously at the sandwich bag. "Don't eat it all at once, you're gonna get sick..." The pup squeaked and buried her face in the bag, tail wagging. Finn let her be. If that concave tummy meant anything, this was probably the most she had had to eat in ages. When the food was all gone she hiccuped, looking up at Finn with a hint of trust in her eyes. She still drew away from Finn's outstretched hand, but that was to be expected.  

"I'm not gonna hurt you." he said firmly. "Let me look." Reassured, she flopped over for a belly-rub, revealing heartbreaking scars and the First Order's seal burnt into her skin. Just looking at it made Finn's lip curl. Over the years he had seen a lot of shit, but baby werewolves were the worst. He sighed and gave her a pat before tucking her under his coat. "C'mon. We'll get you back to normal in no time."  

And that's where things went wrong. In retrospect, Finn really should have seen this coming. Footsteps clicked on the cracked concrete and he froze. A demon trap had appeared where he was standing, effectively cementing him in place. Well, shit.

"Do you know what your great weakness is, 187?" A chilling voice drifted out from the shadows, cold and serpentine. Finn took a deep breath, refusing to be cowed. 

"According to some people it's basic human decency." he called out. The pup nuzzled closer to Finn as he straightened to face Hux, a scowl lining his face. "Hi, Edward. Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"Your weakness is that you are delusional." Hux sneered, showing off a flash of fangs. He walked in a slow, deliberate circle around Finn, appraising him like a prize horse. "You are not a human, 187. It is pitiful, how you cling so desperately to this one, frail part of yourself. You have power and strength beyond the human's comprehension, and yet you want nothing more than to be like them."

"Excuse me for not being a sadistic fuck." Finn shifted, but his feet may as well be made of stone. This was bad. When was Rey going to get here? Hux stepped back into his line of sight and Finn looked him head on, his nose twitching when he was hit with the reek of rotting blood. It was a smell that Finn would rather not think about. "So what're you here for, exactly? If you wanted to kill me you would've done that already, your seals don't work on me, and I have a feeling this isn't a prom proposal..."

"It does have something to do with the seals, yes." Hux confirmed. Finn started to whistle "I Want To Break Free" under his breath and Hux's lips twitched. "Sealing you always proved to be a challenge. It's obvious to me that we didn't try hard enough before." 

"Oh, you tried plenty." Finn had the scars to prove it. "But it didn't work then, so what makes you think it'll work now?"

"I have my reasons. Specifically, this." At the snap of Hux's fingers a shadow materialised at his side, solidifying into the form of a huge black wolf. Kylo Ren. Finn screwed up his face, watching Kylo with an uneasy gaze. In Finn's memories, Kylo always looked volatile and unhinged, as though the smallest thing would make him snap. And he did snap. More than a couple wolves had his claws imprinted in their skin. But something seemed off right now.

"Why's he..." Finn trailed off, his stomach twisting up in knots. Kylo usually wrapped himself around Hux, as though to say _this is mine_ , but now he seemed almost meek, standing at attention with his tail between his legs and a seal glowing on his shoulder. That couldn't mean anything good for Finn. "What did you do?"

 "You remember the spell Supreme Leader put on you wolves, don't you? You two were frustratingly difficult to control. Wizards are always breaking the rules. But it seems that we've finally perfected it." Finn licked his lips and took a deep breath, trying to keep his expression neutral. Ren was too good at reading him, though. He bared his fangs and circled Finn, keeping well out of the trap. "Ren here can attest to that."

"Good job. You'll win the science fair for sure with that. Right up there with the potato lightbulb." Finn said, trying to keep the edge in his voice and barely managing that much.

"You forget your place." Hux stepped close, the blood on his breath making Finn queasy. He grabbed the top of Finn's head, his hand like a splash of ice water. "Let me remind you."

Finn growled, squirming against the fingernails digging into his scalp as his head was forced back, giving Hux clear access to his chest. Hux's eyes flashed red and the scar above Finn's collarbone burnt, skin fusing and cracking, the seal being seared back into his skin. A threatening snarl forced its way up Finn's throat and the pup squirmed in his jacket. He tried to hold her in place, but she bit him and landed at his feet with a yelp, winding up as trapped as he was. What would happen to her when he changed, when he lost control...

"Don't fight it." Hux urged as Finn struggled. "You could have been great, 187. You could have risen above the rest of your kind, held on to that humanity you value so much. We would have let you, you know." Hux watched the claws begin to poke through Finn's fingernails, nodding in satisfaction. "We all have our weaknesses."

"I'm not-" Finn's voice dropped into a growl and he grit his teeth, ignoring the pain when they grew into fangs and pierced through his lips. An awful smile spread across Hux's face. The seal was glowing a dull red, pulsing with life. Another few minutes and 187 would be wholly his. And that was as it should be, Hux reasoned. Wasting a weapon as powerful as this would be nothing short of criminal.

 

"Weak? No, you won't be. Not after I'm done with you." Finn shuddered with another growl, beads of sweat pearling on his neck and forehead. "You can fight it as long as you want, but Ren gave in. You will, too."

"I won't let you." Finn squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the weight that made his shoulders curl forwards and his spine contort itself. 

"You won't, will you?" Hux sneered, tightening his hold. "I disagree." 

Suddenly there was a earsplitting snap and the alley lit up as though lightning had struck. Hux hissed and wrenched himself away from Finn with smoke already rising off of his skin. But before he could burn up entirely Ren wrapped himself around the vampire and the two of them disappeared in a flurry of shadows, revealing that Rey was standing in the mouth of the alleyway, palms glowing and smoking. She waved her hand and rushed over as the seal flickered out around Finn and the pup. When it did Finn went down, and he would have cracked his head on the concrete if Rey hadn't caught him and pulled his head into her lap.

"Drink." she ordered, tipping a vial into his mouth. Finn coughed and shuddered, trying desperately to keep down the burning liquid. Rey had to force him to swallow by clamping his jaw shut as the bones snapped and elongated, stretching his face into a muzzle. "They'll come back. We have to get you guys outta here."    

"What'd he do to me?" Finn demanded. His vision blurred and he let out another snarl. It was a struggle to stay still, to keep his head, to hold out against the bloodlust building in the pit of his stomach. "What'd he do-" The pup whined and Finn couldn't help but lash out at her with his fangs bared. Somehow Rey managed to hold him back, and before anything more could go wrong Finn grabbed her arms and buried his face in her lap. "Don't tell Poe." he said in desperation, unbearable pain rippling through his body like a wave. "Promise you won't-" Then the wave crested and everything went black.

 

\-----------

 

"There we go, that's better..." Rey soothed, laying down the pup in an old basket lined with a pair of clean overalls. The poor thing was in quite a state. Anemic, broken paw, and still with the First Order's seal on her chest. The paw was a quick fix and the anemia was manageable, but Luke thought it would be best if they wait on the seal until she got strong enough to handle the change back. It would be something of a shock to her system. Finn could attest to that when he got his head back.

An hour ago they had teleported into the back room of the repair shop, only a couple feet away from the Aston Martin that Luke had spent a week restoring. Even though he had taken the potion Finn had demanded that they restrain him, wouldn't take no for an answer. It hadn't taken long for Rey to see why.

"You're looking for Finn, aren't you?" Rey realised, watching the pup whimper and scratch around the bed. She seemed to be really attached to him. Unfortunately, at the moment Finn was strapped down on a worktable in the other room, muzzled and chained. The effects of the potion had worn off within minutes, leaving him basically feral. Rey was willing to bet that Hux's damn seal had something to do with it. But she really had to get the pup to sleep.

"Hold on, I'll think of something..." she sighed as she looked around the room. Finn's uniform was draped over a chair by the door, only a little bit torn. She fished his shirt out of the pile and draped it over the puppy. That seemed to mollify her. As the puppy dozed off Rey fished Finn's phone out of his pocket, sighing when she saw the texts from Poe. Apparently Finn had planned on sleeping over. Rey hated to be a cockblocker, but it had to be done. The phone vibrated again and she read the message with a snort. Poe typed like a fifteen year old girl.

_Fiiiinnnn baaaaaaaabe where are yoouuuu_

_There's a situation, gotta stay out late._ Rey typed, hoping she sounded convincing. Poe seemed to buy it.

_:( Well I ate your dinner already anyways. See you tomorrow?_

_Sounds good._ Rey answered. She pocketed the phone, guilt tight in her chest. Lying sucked but it's not like she had any other option. She took another glance at the pup, who was sleeping soundly at this point. May as well check on the other wolf. To think that she thought dealing with just the one was a handful. 

To Rey's surprise, when she ducked into the other room Leia was already there, running her fingers through Finn's fur with a funny look on her face. Rey waited in the shadows of the doorway and watched. Strangely enough Leia didn't show a hint of hesitation or fear. Even when Finn snapped she would just shush him and scratch behind his ear until he calmed down again. Rey couldn't understand it. 

"You'll be alright." Leia said softly, her fingers grazing the white seal that Luke had placed to balance off the Order's. Finn twitched and snarled, eyes rolling around the room. Rey backed off but Leia didn't even wince, slowing her hand and starting up a lullaby, soft enough that Rey had to lean in if she wanted to catch the dreamy, fluttering words.

Finn stopped struggling and watched Leia, his golden eyes no less wide, but maybe a bit calmer. How had Leia done that? When he was like this Finn hated witches. Apparently Leia was the exception. Smiling, she waved her hand over Finn, sighing in relief as his eyes eased shut and he fell asleep. But even then she just looked at him for awhile, arms tight over her chest. Finally the quiet became too much for Rey.

"Is he going to turn back?" she asked, breaking the spell. Leia turned to Rey and smiled, dusting the fur off of her sleeves. 

"In a few hours, if all goes as it should. I hope it does. How're you doing, by the way? How's the training going? Luke's not working you too hard, is he?"

"Nope, I'm fine." Leia always seemed concerned about Rey's apprenticeship with Luke. Was she enjoying it, was it difficult, did she want to keep going, stuff like that. Rey wasn't quite sure why she was constantly being surveyed. Maybe that was just what mothers did. Strange thing was, as far as Rey knew Leia had never had kids. Luke refused to talk about it, and Leia's husband had died only a couple weeks after Luke brought Rey back so she couldn't ask him. Even three years later Rey didn't know how he had died. And she was sure it hadn't been a heart attack like Luke had said. Han had been too much of a fighter to go down like that.  

"That's good to hear." Leia ran her fingers through Rey's hair and let out an exhausted sigh. Sometimes Rey's lack of pride in her appearance nagged Leia to the point of distraction. "You have split ends, dear. When are you going to let me fix you up?" A smirk quirked at Rey's lips and she gave Leia's hand a quick squeeze.

"No point in looking good when I'm in the garage all day. Who's gonna judge me, Chewbacca? Hi, Chewie." Rey laughed as the Sasquatch lumbered past. She pecked Leia on the cheek and smiled. "I have to talk to Luke. Bye, Finn." she added quietly, watching him twitch in his sleep. "Get better soon, okay?"  

With that she disappeared, popping up again in the small garage in the back of the yard, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Luke was sitting cross-legged on a stack of manuals with his eyes closed, brakes and gears flying around him, reassembling in the middle of the room. A 1977 Pontiac Firebird, from the looks of it. Or maybe 1978. It was too dark to say for sure. "You want to ask about the Order, don't you?" Luke asked without opening his eyes. Rey rolled hers, ducking as a bezel whizzed over her head. 

"When do I get the creepy premonitions?" she asked, helping herself to a sip of the hot chocolate perpetually warming on the tiny stove in the corner.

"All in due time, Rey. Now, the Order. Aside from two nights ago, when's the last time they came around?"

"Like, nine months ago?" Rey shrugged, watching the car reassemble itself. She grabbed a screw out of the air and Luke glowered at her until she let go. It whizzed across the room, sliding into place with a bright clink. "They'll move on when they realise they're never gonna find us. The cloaking spells on the apartment are too strong."

"That may be the case now, but in time they will track you down. They're getting stronger, you know, started to stir up some trouble down in New Orleans last month." Luke reminded her. "That died down, thank goodness, but if they cause a ruckus here may not be able to stay out of it this time." 

"What, you suggesting we intervene? I thought you weren't into that." Rey couldn't manage to keep that trace of bitterness out of her voice. Luke picked up on it as well. 

"I'm sorry, Rey," he said for the thousandth time. But it's not like he could say it enough. When Rey was three he had dumped her in an orphanage in Arizona, as far away from him as she could get. For sixteen years she had been on her own, and she still didn't know why she had been left to fend for herself. But over the last few years she had gathered that something pretty fucking bad had happened. And since Luke wasn't about to elaborate Rey figured she should just let it go. Besides, if it was important she would find out eventually. "But as far as the Order, I say we lay low for now. Like we always do." Luke decided. "By the way, is Leia with Finn?"

"Yeah." Rey twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and sighed. "Leia, she seemed..." Well, Rey didn't quite know what she seemed. Sad, definitely, but there was something else to it, something Rey couldn't quite put her finger on. Since she couldn't wrap her head around it Rey put it out of her mind, focusing instead on the car Luke was throwing together. "The crankshaft's in wrong."

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, it is." Rey rubbed her eyes and settled down on the edge of a workbench, grinning when Luke realised she was right. Things seemed to be going back to normal. Normal for them, at least. 

 

\-------

 

When Finn woke up it was dark, his head was throbbing, and his mouth tasted like metal. He tried to move but found he was strapped down, a muzzle holding his mouth shut. Panic set in and he started to squirm against his restraints, snarling when he heard something moving in the shadows. After awhile spent struggling and snarling he managed to work one of his paws free. He clawed at his muzzle, gasping when he managed to claw it off. But when he turned to face his opponent he blinked. Well, that was unexpected.

It was the pup from the alley, of all people, with a lavender bow around her neck and a perky wag to her tail. To Finn's surprise she seemed excited to see him, hopping up on the table and nosing at the cuts on his cheek with a friendly squeak. Finn nuzzled back, licking her face and neck. Someone had given her a bath, from the smell of Rey's honey conditioner clinging to her fur. Right, now Finn remembered. He was at the garage. The restraints had been his idea. It was okay. Everything was okay.

He actually believed that for a good ten minutes. Then while the pup was tugging playfully at his ear he felt it again, the sick twisting in his gut, like a worm snaking its way through his body, infecting everything it touched. His head swam as he shoved her away, wincing when he heard a yelp. Blood ran hot in his veins and the seal on his shoulder burnt. A low, menacing growl forced its way out of his throat. Under the blood thrumming in his skull he heard panicked yelps and urgent footsteps, Rey's gasp when she stepped inside and realised what was happening. 

"How'd you get in here?" Rey grabbed the pup and yanked her away, watching Finn turn into a foaming, thrashing mess. The table collapsed under him and he broke free, shaking off the last of his restraints as the Order's seal glowed red and Luke's flickered out. When he looked at Rey his eyes were flashing, brown then gold then back again. He staggered almost drunkenly towards her, but she and the pup disappeared in a flash of white light.

With Rey gone Finn snapped back to himself with a sharp yelp, staring at the splintered table, the claw marks on the wall. A lavender hair bow was lying on the floor in tatters. Finn whined, backing away from the bloody piece of silk. The pup had been wearing it earlier. Where was she? His mind was drawing a complete blank. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep a clear head, trying to think. After he had woken up the pup showed up. He had hit her...

Finn drew back, his tail between his legs. Deep breaths, that's all he needed. Deep breaths. "Finn?" Rey poked her head inside and Finn scrambled back, slamming into a shelf. "She's fine. Look, she's fine." Rey tried to assure him, but Finn refused to be reassured. The pup was whining in Rey's arms, licking and pawing at a cut on her cheek. Had that always been there? But when he tried to take a closer look the pup made an awful noise, an almost human shriek. Finn had never heard anything like it. He never wanted to hear anything like it again.

Before Rey could react Finn disappeared, leaving the back door splintered and cracked. She took a deep breath and sank to her knees, cuddling the whimpering pup to her chest. "Don't worry, sweetie. We can fix this." she promised, not quite believing it herself. "We can fix this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time for some McAngst yaay


	5. Chapter 5

 Finn ran through the night, past the city limits and out onto the highway, rain biting his skin and wind burning his eyes. There wasn't a destination in mind, only the stab of each breath and crunch of every step. But he couldn't run forever. Eventually the sun had to come up and he collapsed on the side of the road, panting and twitching as fire ignited under his skin.

Dragging himself into the underbrush was almost enough to make him pass out, which honestly Finn would have been okay with. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and instead he doubled over with a hollow groan as his sternum snapped in two. Poe had made him forget how much it sucked to turn back on his own, how every snap seemed ten times louder and every ripping muscle hurt just a little bit longer. 

When it was over he curled up in a shivering ball and closed his eyes, trying not to think of home, trying not to think of Poe, trying not to think of anything. But eventually the brambles digging into his side forced him to get up. What he wouldn't give for a blanket and mug of hot chocolate right about now.

The sun climbed in the sky as Finn picked at the dried blood and dirt crusting on his skin, laying everything out in his head. What he needed was a game plan. The Order would catch him easily in this state. At least the seal on his shoulder wasn't burning, which Finn took as an opportunity. Now that his head was on straight there was a chance, however slim, that he could make it somewhere safe before losing control again. There was a second seal on his chest that he wasn't quite sure about. Warm to the touch, didn't seem to be hurting him. Probably Luke was behind it. Finn would thank him if he ever got the chance.

So far as getting home went, hitching a ride wasn't an option for obvious reasons. He couldn't exactly saunter back into town in his birthday suit, either. While he worked through it in his head a cool wind made the trees shiver and dance above him. Finn sniffed the air, his ears perking up. Wait a second, this road was familiar. He wasn't that far off from Kes' farmhouse. As awkward as it was, Finn might just be able to make up a story about being mugged and knocked out by a killer clown or something. Those guys were freaky. So with something resembling a plan Finn ducked into the underbrush, padding through the trees and hoping he wouldn't come across any hunters. 

 On his trek Finn had way too much time to mull everything over, let it all sit and fester in the pit of his stomach. He should have seen this coming, frankly. Things had been going too well for too long. That pup weighed heavy on him, especially. The first werewolf he met on good terms with, and look what had happened. Hopefully she was okay. Finn couldn't live with himself if he hurt the poor thing. He knew that he had done wasn't even the worst thing that had happened to her, but that just made his blood boil.

Memories of his own childhood were faint, but it probably wasn't all that different from what he saw back in his days with the Order. There was a sprawling colonial mansion Hux operated out of down in Mississippi, passed down through generations of soulless ginger bloodsuckers. How a family of vampires had survived in the sunny south for so long was a mystery to Finn. Questions aside, whenever he wound up back there he made a point of paying the pups a visit.

Staying out of sight was the easy part. Early in the morning Finn would slip out onto the porch, doing his best not to wake the wolves sprawled out on the floor or raise the suspicions of the vampires skulking around. And on the off chance that they asked all he had to say was he was going for a smoke. Usually the bloodsucker would just roll its eyes at his silly human vice, wave him off, and then he was home free.

To be honest, doing this would have been worth it just for the chance to be out in the daylight, an opportunity that wasn't lost to Finn. He'd take his time, meandering through the dewy fields with a bag of chicken under one arm and a tube of tennis balls under the other, watching the birds swooping in and out of the trees or just staring at the clouds. Eventually he'd make his way to a rickety old barn that sat sagging at the edge of the property, the seal on the door trapping in thirty pups at any given time. No one guarded the place, so all he had to do was flip the latch and brace himself for the onslaught of white fur and wagging tails.

Not that he had a problem with that, of course. The pups loved him, and he loved the pups. How could you not love them? They practically smiled when he showed up, yipping and patting at him with their oversized paws. He could spend a good two hours in there before the feeder showed up, giving belly rubs, playing fetch, cuddling, whatever they wanted. Finn was pretty sure they were the only thing that kept him sane all those years. 

 But then again, seeing the Order's seal burning red on their tummies whenever they rolled over for belly rubs, watching their eyes flicker from an empty black to all too human shades of brown or blue or green, that might have driven him a little bit insane, too.

Somehow, even with his mind wandering every which way Finn's feet managed to stay on course, and before long he was huddled behind the tractor sitting in Kes' driveway, waiting for a mower to trundle past before ducking into the backyard. The gate rattled and squeaked when Finn closed it, the wind that had sprung up making it hard to be discreet. It didn't help when a huge doberman ran up to greet him with a raucous bark. Finn sighed and let himself be backed behind a toolshed, the dog snapping at his heels. It backed off and ran up onto the back porch when Finn let loose a frightful growl, though. He could be pretty damn scary if he felt like it. Not his favourite trait, that.

The door banged open and Finn poked his head out of his hiding spot to see Kes peering out warily from behind the screen, his face indistinct behind the grey mesh. "Some guard dog you are..." he sighed, shaking his head as his first line of defence rolled onto its back and whined. "And what's going on out there?" he demanded, scanning the yard. Then he spotted Finn cowering by the toolshed and lowered the cane he carried around courtesy of an old war wound. "Well, wouldn't you know. Hi there, Talbot."

"Who?" Kes opened the screen door and Finn crept towards the porch, heat burning in his cheeks and neck. This was what, the second time he and Kes were alone together? The first time was when the elevator at Poe's apartment got stuck between floors and they were trapped in there for half an hour. As awkward as that experience had been, at least Finn had been wearing clothes.

"You have watched The Wolf Man, haven't you? Lon Chaney Jr? Bela Lugosi? Ringing any bells?" Finn's blank expression did the talking. Kes waved his hand dismissively and sighed, watching his dog trot demurely into the house. "Never mind. Leia called me up, said I should be on the lookout for you." 

"Wait, Leia? What'd she..." Finn went through every possible scenario in hie head, trying to find one where it would make sense for a naked werewolf to turn up on Kes' property at seven in the morning. Apparently the look on his face reflected that pretty well.

"I know a thing or two about the supernatural, kid. You can't hang around the Solo clan for as long as I have and stay out of it. C'mon in." Kes tossed a blanket at Finn and pulled him inside, scowling up at the gathering clouds. "Storm's getting closer. Good thing you found me when you did. I'll get you some pants. Should probably get some food in you, too. Make yourself comfortable, got that?" 

Finn did as he was told without question, tucking himself up on the couch in the sitting room and trying not to close his eyes. It was a struggle to simply stay awake. Usually Finn had a problem falling asleep anywhere but home, but this place was an exception. It was well known to him, somehow. Something about the low-ceilinged rooms, the air steeped in strong coffee, the stacks of books on the shelves and piled against the walls. Most of them had belonged to Poe's mom, but Kes hung on to them out of fondness.

The blanket Finn had on seemed familiar as well. It was one of those army surplus ones, scratchy and warm. Poe had a couple in his apartment that he whipped out whenever it got cold out. The two of them could spend ages burrowed under one of those, kissing, napping, whatever struck their fancy. Finn almost reached for Poe, not quite getting it at first when his fingers didn't connect with sandpaper stubble and curling hair. When he realised his mistake he sighed and flexed his fingers, staring down at the blood under his nails. There go his chances of doing that ever again. 

"You're thinking of running off, aren't you? Might want to reconsider. The seal Luke put on you won't last forever." Kes advised as he limped into the room. He set a couple mismatched mugs on the coffee table and threw himself into a creaky old armchair with a huff. "Best case scenario you'd wind up in a zoo..."

"I know." Finn said quietly.

"They can help, y'know." Kes reminded Finn. His next words were quieter, tentative, even. Almost as though he wasn't sure he should be saying them. "Leia and Han, their son was a werewolf."

"Really?" Rey had never mentioned that. You'd think that was pertinent information.

"Yeah. And a wizard, besides. Very strong, very volatile. You wouldn't want to meet him on a full moon. Or any other time, really." Kes shook his head and pushed himself out of his chair. Apparently this wasn't a story to be told sitting down. "He killed Han."

"Oh." Finn had never met that grumpy old pilot, but Leia swore up and down that they would've gotten along. For some reason, Finn felt like Han's death hadn't been an accident. He scowled at the fireplace as a thought, crazy as it may seem, planted itself in his mind and started to take root. For awhile now something had been nagging in the back of his mind, the memory of a scent he caught every once in awhile at the garage, one that made him tense for no reason at all. Well, that would explain it.

"Kylo Ren." he said slowly. "That's what he calls himself now. He joined the Order."

"Yeah." Relieved that he hadn't had to drop the bomb Kes rested against a bookshelf, staring at the flames flickering and crackling in the grate. "Yeah, that was a real shame. I'm not sure if you know this, but Ben and Poe, they were two peas in a pod when they were kids. All fell apart when Ben was sent off to train with Luke. Poe's still sore about it. Seems like everything went bottom up after that." Kes sighed. "Y'see why I don't think you should leave, right?"

Finn bit the edge of his cup and nodded. What Kes was trying to tell him made sense, of course it did. If he left, that would be the end of his one shot at a normal life. The rest of it would either be spent on the run or back with the Order, and he had a feeling that this time he would be given no leeway. Going back home was a really attractive option, actually. Then Finn thought about trying to explain this to Poe and he reconsidered.

"Oh, I know that face. Shara's seen me make that face." Kes barked out a laugh, startling the dog that had flopped over at his feet. "Poe misses you already, kid. I can promise you that. Shara and me raised a hopeless romantic. And besides, he's called me at least sixteen times asking where the hell you are." As he said that Kes' ringtone blared in the other room, startling the poor dog all over again. Something like a smile spread across Finn's face and he took a deep breath. You know what, maybe going home was an okay idea after all. "Huh. Make that seventeen." 

 

\---------

 

"A little to the left." A familiar voice suggested. Leia jumped and dropped the picture she had been trying to hang up. It shattered on the floor and she sighed, turning to the ghost that had flickered to life behind her. 

"Hello to you too." Leia waved her hand and the glass shards clinked back together, the picture frame flying back into her hands. "And you say you're not a wizard." 

"You guys rubbed off on me." Han shrugged. His shape flickered a bit, but aside from that he was holding steady. Wherever he was in the afterlife seemed to have good reception. Better than last time, at any rate. He hadn't been much more than a sassy ball of light. "I say I'm just lucky."

"Oh, please. No one could get this far on dumb luck." 

"Maybe I'm just exceptionally dumb." Han retaliated. Then he blinked and pointed sharply at Leia. "I never said that."

"To appear as a benign spirit, you must have intimate knowledge of magic, of the paths that connect the world of the living and that of the dead." Leia recalled as she walked over to the kitchen, reciting a passage she had read in one of Luke's old manuscripts. "Or maybe you just have to be too damn stubborn to die."

"The latter. How's Rey?" Han asked, dancing around Leia as she poured out some tea. He had been fond of Rey. The few weeks she had been with them had been like before Ben left. Han was readier to be a father than Luke was. After all, Rey wasn't technically his kid. They still didn't quite know where she had come from. Luke had somehow just known she'd be sitting in that orphanage, waiting for someone to come back for her. He'd said he was her dad just to avoid any further questions. Leia was pretty sure picking up a kid on false pretences was a crime, but Luke promised he had a hunch about her. And over the years Leia had learnt to trust Luke's hunches. "She figure out how to stop the Falcon from making that shrieking noise?"

"Ask her yourself." Leia tried to shove Han's shoulder before remembering the whole ghost situation. Even dead, he still managed to tick her off. "You can appear to her, can't you?"

"Rey would ask too many questions if I showed up. You know that. It'd be like a goddamned interrogation. I'd see her if I could, trust me. She'd liven things up a bit. The afterlife's boring as hell, by the way. Still surprised I didn't wind up down there..."

"Even the Devil doesn't have the strength to deal with you." Leia shook her head, looking at Han. The thing about ghosts, they could appear in whatever form they liked. So he was as young as when they had first met, cocky and headstrong and snarky as anything. Back in the day he was always up for a fight, up for a quickie, up for whatever so long as he'd get a kick out of it. Leia would always look back on the past with fondness, but now nostalgia came with a stab of pain. Losing Luke, losing Ben, losing Han himself. The guy standing in front of her hadn't gone through all that loss yet.

"You make me feel like a cougar..." Leia sighed. Her eyes softened and she gave Han a hopeful smile. "Please?" Han seemed to understand what she wanted, even if he wasn't happy about it. After grumbling for a bit he flickered, his silhouette shifted. When he was back in focus Leia laughed. A little paunch in the front, wrinkled as a prune, hair gone all grey. Yep, this was the Han she needed right now. "Now that's better."

"You blind, lady? I'm a relic." he complained. 

"There's nothing wrong with that. It just means you stuck around here long enough for us to get old together." she pointed out, easing down into one of their old kitchen chairs with her hands wrapped around her mug. "Hold on. If you're a relic, then what does that make me?"

"Forget I said that." he said quickly as he stooped to give Leia a kiss. She swore that she felt a breath of warm air where Han's lips grazed her forehead. "But sticking around, that was probably one of the better decisions I've ever made."

"Yeah. You have your moments." Leia admitted with a satisfied sigh. He did, surprisingly. They were rare, but that just made them all the more precious. "You have your moments..."

 

\--------

 

The elevator ride up to Poe's apartment seemed to take twice as long as usual. Finn stared at the fluorescent lights flickering in the ceiling, wondering just how bad of an idea this was. His guess was hovering somewhere between  _very_  and  _incredibly_.

Before he even got to the door his cover was blown by a certain overexcited corgi. He could hear Beebee yipping and scratching the second he stepped into the hall. Well, that was just great. Finn bit down on his lower lip, shuffling on the welcome mat like a suspect on the stand. When Poe opened the door a good minute was spent just staring, Finn at a crack in the wall, Poe at the bags under Finn's eyes, the cuts on his face and neck.  

The standoff dragged on, a couple hours at least, maybe more. Really it was no more than thirty seconds, but no one ever said that Finn's perception of time was reliable. When it became unbearable Finn turned away but Poe took him by the chin and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Never do that again, hear me?" he said softly. Finn nodded and closed his eyes, letting Poe kiss the scars on his face. "You're not leaving me."

"Okay." Finn agreed, voice more like a breath than anything. He opened one eye and took a deep breath. Considering the track record of the past couple days, what he wanted to say would go down badly as well, but he had to get it out. 

"Sweetheart?" Poe brushed his fingers through Finn's hair, which really wasn't helping slow the thoughts knocking around in his head or ease the confusion churning in his gut. To tell or not to tell, ain't that a question. "What's up?"

"I love you." Finn heard himself say. His vision went red and his face heated up as the words slipped out. Well, shit. That wasn't supposed to happen. But just before panic set in, Poe smiled. His eyes crinkled up at the corners and he wrapped his arms around Finn's shoulders. Finn's heartbeat slowed down as they nuzzled their foreheads together. Well, this was a real weight off of his shoulders.

"I love you, too." A relieved laugh bubbled up in Finn's throat and he squeezed Poe tighter, accepting the kisses that Poe wouldn't stop giving him. One measly thing had gone well over the past forty-eight hours, but that was enough. That was more than enough.

 


End file.
